PACQUIAO SAVES THAI JOINT FROM KNOCKOUT
For two years after its No. 1 patron’s last fight, the glass door to Nat’s Thai Restaurant in Hollywood didn’t swing back and forth like it used to.
It wasn’t as if Tasanee Sridakun, endearingly called Tina, was going out of business.
There were the usual diners from the neighboring Wild Card Boxing Club of Freddie Roach and other regulars from nearby.
While Tina, now in her early-50s, still managed to stay afloat, business was not as brisk whenever Manny Pacquiao was around getting ready for a big fight.
On Monday afternoon, her top client made a much-awaited entrance through that same door and the ambience at the eatery lit up instantly.
Lawyer Tom Falgui, who joined the Filipino eight-division champion told Daily Tribune yesterday that his boss requested that Tina cook up his all-time favorite — chunky slices of delectable marinated beef fired up in high heat.
“Na-miss daw nya ng husto (He really missed the food),” Falgui said, noting that Pacquiao wanted the meat and the fatty portions well done and a bit crispy but still juicy.
Errol Spence is a very difficult fight for me; perhaps the most difficult of my career.
Helping out Tina during the cooking were two members of Pacquiao’s team: Nony Neri and Roger “Haplas” Fernandez.
Also partaking of the orders were MP Promotions chief Sean Gibbons and Falgui as well as other members of the entourage.
In the coming days, Tina’s kitchen will be buzzing with activity as Pacquiao ramps up his buildup for the 21 August clash with Errol Spence at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
During his first team-up with Roach, Pacquiao trained and picked up right from where he left off, according to ace publicist Fed Sternburg.
Roach, too, was in awe of Pacquiao, who started the day doing a five-mile road work and 1,000 situps at Pan Pacific Park.
A team from Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency also went to collect samples from Pacquiao just before he showed up for training.
“He was incredibly sharp for his first day. He hit hard with good power. After all these years, I am still amazed at the great condition he’s in when he comes to training camp. After traveling around the world yesterday, he put in a full day here — mitts, speed bag, shadowboxing — the works,” Roach said.
Pacquiao, 42, knows winning his next assignment is going to be tough.
“Errol Spence is a very difficult fight for me; perhaps the most difficult of my career,” Pacquiao said.